11 July,2011 09:28 AM IST | | Specila Features
Since its publication on July 11, 1960, Harper Lee's novel To Kill A Mockingbird has never been out of print. Rated as a classic of modern American literature, the book, famous for its warmth and humour, deals with the serious issue of rape and racial inequality. CS gives you some trivia on the novel:
>>u00a0The novel, which took two and a half years to write, was an instant success. It won the Pulitzer Prize. In 2006, British librarians ranked the book ahead of the Bible as one "every adult should read before they die."
>>u00a0The book is based on Lee's observations of her family and friends, and on an event that happened near her hometown in 1936; she was 10 years old.u00a0
>>u00a0Atticus Finch, the main hero of the story, served as a moral hero for many readers and as a model of integrity for lawyers. Till date, Finch is one of most enduring fictional image of racial heroism.u00a0
>>u00a0It was adapted into an Oscar-winning film in 1962 by director Robert Mulligan, with a screenplay by Horton Foote. Since 1990, a play based on the novel has been performed annually in Harper Lee's hometown of Monroeville, Alabama.
>>u00a0To date, it is Lee's only published novel, and although she continues to respond to the book's impact, she has refused any personal publicity for herself or the novel since 1964.
